JP3037747B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image using an electrophotographic process such as a laser printer.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, an image forming apparatus transfers an image by passing a sheet through an image transfer unit of an electrophotographic process unit that performs charging, exposure, development, transfer, peeling, cleaning, and the like, and the sheet on which the image is transferred Is passed between a pair of fixing rollers to fix an image on a sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus of this type, for example, a laser printer, a developer replenishing device used for replenishing a developer (hereinafter, referred to as toner) to a developing unit built in the apparatus main body is A disposable cartridge type cartridge is used, and the toner replenishing cartridge (supply container) is configured to be detachably mounted on a developing unit incorporated in the apparatus main body. I have. Further, the untransferred toner not transferred to the paper in the image transfer section is scraped off from the photoreceptor by a cleaning device, further transferred to the outside of the process unit, and stored in a disposable cartridge type container. . The toner recovery cartridge (storage container) is also configured to be detachably mounted on a process unit incorporated in the apparatus main body. The main body of the apparatus detects the empty state of the supply toner cartridge and the full state of the collection toner cartridge, and notifies the operator of the state, so that the operator appropriately replaces each cartridge.

By the way, conventionally, the replenishment container and the storage container are configured separately from each other, or the replenishment container and the storage container are developed with a developing unit in order to unify the time and labor for each replacement.
The cleaning means and the photosensitive drum were integrated.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, when the supply container and the storage container are separated,
The user has to replace each container every time the developer is supplied or the used developer is discarded, which causes a problem that it takes time.

In the case of integration, as in the latter case, the time required for replacement is reduced to one. However, the amount of developer for replenishment and the amount of used developer Is limited. For this reason, there is a problem that the replacement cycle of the entire unit is shortened, and the running cost is increased by replacing the unit earlier than the service life of the relatively expensive developing means, cleaning means, and photosensitive drum.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which the replenishing means and the storing means are integrated and detachable from the cleaning means and the developing means, whereby the number of maintenance operations of the user can be reduced and the running cost can be reduced. The purpose is to provide.

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a developing unit for forming a developer image on an image carrier, and transferring the developer image formed by the developing unit to a transfer material. Transfer means, cleaning means for removing the developer remaining on the image carrier after transfer of the developer image by the transfer means, transport means for transporting the developer removed by the cleaning means, and developing means And a storage unit for storing the developer conveyed by the conveyance unit, wherein the development unit and the conveyance unit are integrated into a first unit, and the replenishment is performed. Means and a storage means are integrated into a second unit, the second unit is detachable from the first unit, and a first stirring member for stirring and transporting the developer into the supply means is provided. Providing, said A second stirring member is provided in the storage means and is driven in conjunction with the first stirring member to stir and level the developer.

(Operation) By forming the unit by integrating the replenishing means and the storing means, the replenishing means and the storing means can be exchanged with a single effort, and the unit can be detachably attached to the developing means and the cleaning means. This allows the unit to be replaced alone.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 13 shows the appearance of a laser printer as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a semiconductor laser.
FIG. 14 shows the internal configuration.

This laser printer is connected to a host system (not shown) which is an external output device such as a computer or word processor via a transmission controller such as an interface circuit. In addition, when a printing start signal is received from the host system, an image recording operation is started, and the image is recorded on a sheet as a material to be transferred and output.

That is, the above-described image forming apparatus has the following configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body, and a main control board 2 is disposed in a central portion of the apparatus main body 1. An electrophotographic process unit 3 for forming an image is arranged behind the main control board 2 (to the right in the state shown in FIG. 13), and a plurality of control units for adding functions are provided at the lower front part. A control board housing part 5 for housing the boards 4..., And a paper discharge part 6 is formed in an upper front part thereof.

Up to three function addition control boards 4 can be mounted in the control board storage section 5 in accordance with the degree of function addition such as the addition of a type of kanji, for example. On the front edge side of the function addition control board 4 located at the lowermost stage, the function addition IC card 8 is inserted into the IC card connector 7 so that further functions can be added. Has become. Also, two interfaces are provided on the left end face of the function addition control board 4 located at the bottom.
A face (not shown) is provided,
These interfaces face openings 9 formed in the left side surface of the apparatus main body 1. Also,
In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a cassette accommodating portion for accommodating a paper feed cassette 11 formed at a lower portion in the apparatus main body 1.

As shown in FIG. 13, the paper discharge unit 6 is formed of a recess formed on the upper surface of the front part of the apparatus main body 1. At the front edge of the paper discharge unit 12, a paper discharge tray 12 is provided in the direction of the solid arrow. A sheet P which is provided so as to be able to be folded and unfolded and is ejected.
The size of the paper discharge section 6 can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the paper discharge section.

Further, on the upper surface of the left frame portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1 located on the left side of the paper discharge portion 6, a control panel 16 in which a display LED 13, a two-digit status display segment 14, and a switch 15 are disposed is disposed. On the other hand, a manual feed tray 17 is mounted on the rear end face side of the apparatus main body 1.

Next, the configuration of the electrophotographic process unit 3 for performing electrophotographic processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, peeling, cleaning, and fixing will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a drum-shaped photoconductor as an image carrier, which is disposed at a substantially central portion of a unit accommodating portion in the apparatus main body 1. Around the photoreceptor 20, a charging unit 21 composed of a scorotron and a laser as an electrostatic latent image forming unit are arranged along the rotation direction.
The exposure unit 22a of the exposure unit 22, a magnetic brush type developing unit 23 for performing a developing process, a transfer unit 24 composed of a scorotron, an untransferred toner removing unit 25 composed of a rubber member, and a pre-exposure unit 26 are sequentially arranged. Have been.

In the figure, reference numeral 29 denotes a paper transport path formed in the apparatus main body 1. The paper P is supplied from the paper supply cassette 11 via the paper supply unit 27 and the paper is manually supplied from the manual tray 17. P is guided to a paper discharge unit 6 provided on the upper surface side of the apparatus main body 1 through an image transfer unit 28 between the photoconductor 20 and the transfer unit 24, and an image of the paper transport path 29 is formed. A transport roller pair 30, an aligning roller pair 31, and a transport roller pair 32 are disposed upstream of the transfer unit 28, and a fixing unit 33 and a discharge roller unit are disposed downstream thereof. 34 are located.

In the drawing, reference numeral 35 denotes a cooling fan unit disposed above the transport roller pair 32, and 36 denotes the aligning roller pair 31.
Is an aligning switch provided near the image transfer section, and a transport guide provided near the image transfer section.

When the printing start signal is received by the host system, the drum-shaped photoconductor 20 rotates and the photoconductor 20 is charged by the charging unit 21. Next, the laser beam modulated by receiving the dot image data from the host system.
The film a is scanned and exposed on the photosensitive member 20 by using a laser exposure unit 22, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image signal on the photosensitive member 20. The electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 20 is developed and visualized by a toner in a developer magnetic brush (not shown) in the developing unit 23.

On the other hand, when the paper P taken out of the paper feed cassette 11 or fed manually from the manual feed tray 17 is fed through the aligning roller pair 31 in synchronization with the toner image forming operation, the photosensitive drum is exposed in advance. The toner image formed on the body 20 is transferred to the sheet P by the operation of the transfer means 24. Then, the transferred paper P passes through the paper transport path 29 and is sent to the fixing unit 33. After the toner image is fused and fixed on the paper P, the paper P is discharged through the paper discharge roller unit 34. The paper is to be discharged to the paper unit 6, in this case,
The residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor 20 after the transfer of the toner image onto the paper P is removed by a cleaning blade 25 made of urethane rubber, and transferred to the outside of the process unit by a transport spiral 42.

The fixing unit 33 includes a heat roller 41 having a built-in heater lamp and a pressure roller 42 pressed against the heat roller 41, and these fixing rollers serve as fixing rollers. B
The toner image is fused and fixed to the paper P by passing the paper P between the rollers 41 and 42. The heat roller 41 and the pressure roller 42 are provided in a lower case. It is surrounded by a casing 43 and an upper casing 44, and has a structure in which heat is prevented from escaping to the outside as much as possible so as to secure a favorable temperature atmosphere required for fixing.

Further, the discharge roller unit 34 includes a lower roller 34.
a and an upper roller 34b, and an upper half including the upper roller 34b is attached to the lower surface side of the top cover 50 of the apparatus main body 1 together with the transport guide 37, the transfer means 24 and the like. The top cover 50 has a
As shown in FIG. 15, a support shaft 51 provided at the upper part on the rear end side can be opened and closed up to a rotation range of up to about 120 ° as shown in FIG. Most of the equipment and the equipment facing the paper transport path 29 are exposed, so that the work of removing the jam of the paper P along the paper transport path 29 and the maintenance and replacement of the equipment can be easily performed. As shown in FIG. 16, an operation protrusion 52 is provided on the right inner side surface 50a of the top cover 50,
The operation projection 52 is provided in a rotary unit of a kit 60 as a cartridge type unit to be described later in which toner is supplied to the developing unit 23 together with the opening and closing operation of the top cover 50.
The shutter is opened and closed, and the kit 60 is detachably inserted from the side of the right frame 1b of the apparatus main body 1 as shown in FIG. 17, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the toner supply port 23 at the upper part of the developing unit 23
It is designed to be inserted and loaded into a. At the same time, the toner outlet 23b of the developing unit 23 is inserted into the waste toner inlet 60c of the kit 60.

That is, the cartridge type kit 60 according to the present invention
As shown in FIG. 1, a supply toner storage section 60a as a cylindrical supply means for storing the supply toner,
The supply toner storage unit 60a comprises a box-shaped waste toner storage unit 60b as storage means integrated with the supply toner storage unit 60a. Since both are completely separated, the supply toner and the waste toner are never mixed. Never.

Next, the structure of the kit 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG.
Toner is housed in a hopper-shaped synthetic resin container 61 made of a horizontally long ABS resin or the like, the left end surface 61a of which is closed in the longitudinal direction to form a plug end to the apparatus main body 1, and With the right end face 61b open,
It has a tapered shape that slightly expands from the left end face 61a to the right end face 61b.

Further, on the left closed end face 61a of the container 61, a toner filling port 62 and a driving side one end portion 83 of a rotation center shaft 83 of a paddle frame 82 of a developer stirring means 81 constituting a developer replenishing means 80 described later.
A shaft hole 63 into which a is inserted and held is formed, and this shaft hole 6 is formed.
On the inner surface side of 3, there are formed double annular grooves 64, 65.

A bearing 66 is formed on the right opening end face 61b side of the container 61, into which one end 92a of a rotating shaft 92 of a magnet swing lever 91 constituting a waste toner stirring means 90 described later is inserted and held. The opening end face 61b is sealed by a cover 70 after the developer replenishing means 80 to be described later is assembled. The inner surface of the cover 70 has the developer stirring The other end 83 of the paddle frame rotation center shaft 83 of the means 81
bearing part 71 in which b is inserted and held, and the waste toner stirring means 9
And a bearing 72 into which the other end 92b of the pivot shaft 92 is inserted and held.

In the drawing, reference numeral 67 denotes a toner replenishing portion formed at a position offset to the right side of the bottom of the container 61. The toner replenishing portion 67 includes a toner conveying and supplying device 100 constituting the developer replenishing device 80. A toner supply port 68 for supplying the toner to the developing unit 23 by dropping is opened at the left bottom thereof. The toner supply port 68 is provided with a first toner supply port 68 described later. The shutter means 200 and the second shutter means 300 are arranged in correspondence with each other.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the developer agitating means 81 constituting the developer replenishing means 80 has a plurality of paddle frames 82 spirally around a rotation center axis 83 having a cross-shaped cross section. It is composed of an ABS resin frame in the form of a knurled wheel having a diameter of, for example, 60, and one end portion 83a on the drive side is formed in the shaft hole 63 formed in the closed end surface 61a of the container 61. The other end 83b is inserted and held in the bearing 71 of the cover 70 that seals the open end face 61b side of the container 61,
As shown in FIG. 3, a first pad 801 is provided on one end 83a on the drive side, which protrudes outward from the closed end face 61a of the container 61.
A drive gear 802 that can mesh with a gear of a drive system (not shown) on the apparatus main body 1 side is mounted via the. Further, an annular flange portion 84 is formed integrally with one end portion 83a on the drive side of the rotation center shaft 83, and the annular flange portion 84 is
The second annular pad 804 is fitted into the outer annular groove 64 formed on the inner surface side of the shaft hole 63 of the closed end face 61a of the container 61, and the second pad 804 is fitted into the inner annular groove 65. The thickness between the pad 804 and the inner surface of the annular flange portion 84 is approximately
Seat with 0.3mm thin disk-shaped packing 805 interposed
The seal structure and the lubricity of the shaft periphery due to the labyrinth effect are enhanced by the use of a tunnel structure, so that toner leakage, penetration of toner into the shaft periphery, generation of frictional heat and moisture in the container 61 are prevented. The developer stirring means 81 prevents intrusion.
During the rotational driving, the inside of the container 61 is double-stirred while the toner (not shown) accommodated in the container 61 is double-stirred by the spiral rotation by the plurality of paddle frames 82 and the rotation center shaft 83 having a cross-shaped cross section. Toner replenishment unit offset to the right
It is designed to be transported to the 67 side.

In the drawing, reference numeral 85 denotes a mylar (trade name) or rubber or the like provided at the tip end portion 82a of one paddle frame 82 corresponding to the toner supply section 67 of the plurality of paddle frames 82 constituting the developer stirring means 81. This is a toner-raising plate made of an elastic thin plate piece, the tip end 85a of which is slidably abutted along the inner bottom surface 61c of the container 61, and the rotation of the developer stirring means 81 causes the longitudinal direction of the container 61 to be extended. The toner conveyed toward the open end face 61b, which is one side of the direction, can be lifted and supplied into the toner replenishing section 67.

In the drawing, reference numeral 86 denotes a large-diameter gear integrally formed on the other end portion 83b side of the rotation center shaft 83 constituting the developer stirring means 81, and 87 denotes an eccentric cam integrally formed outside the large-diameter gear 86. The large-diameter gear 86 meshes with a small-diameter gear 102 integrally formed with a spiral shaft 101 constituting the toner-conveying means 100, and rotates the spiral shaft 101 to rotate. The eccentric cam 87 is brought into contact with a magnet swing lever 91 constituting a waste toner stirring means 90 described later, and the empty lever 91 is connected to the large-diameter gear 86, that is, the developer stirring means 81. It can swing up and down following the rotation of the rotation center shaft 83 that constitutes it.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the magnet swing lever 91 constituting the waste toner agitating means 90 has a U-shape. The bearing 92a is inserted and held in the bearing 66 formed on the right opening end face 61b side of the container 61, and the other end 92b is inserted and held in the bearing 72 formed on the inner surface of the cover 70. The central part thereof is brought into contact with an eccentric cam 87 integrally formed on the other end part 83b side of the rotation center shaft 83 constituting the developer stirring means 81, and a permanent magnet 93 is attached to the swing end part 91a. As shown in FIG. 6, a magnet swing lever is provided.
The eccentric cam 87 swings and rotates with the rotation of the eccentric cam 87, and the permanent magnet 93 moves substantially up and down. The up-and-down movement of the permanent magnet 93 stirs the collected toner T sent into the waste toner accommodating portion 60b.

Here, the collecting toner stirring mechanism in the waste toner storing section 60b will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, waste toner stirring lever
Reference numeral 110 denotes an L-shape.
And a bearing (not shown) formed on the inner surface of the cover 70 and supported by a bearing. A magnetic material (iron) is provided at the right end.
111 is attached. The lower end is in the shape of a spatula so that the toner can be easily stirred. Normally, the waste toner stirring lever 110 tends to rotate clockwise due to the weight of the magnetic body 111 attached to the right end, but the protrusion 11 below the magnetic body.
4 strikes a part of the surface of the container 61 and is stationary at that position. In this state, when the above-described permanent magnet 93 moves upward from below, the magnetic body 111 approaching across the wall is lifted upward by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 93. As a result, the waste toner stirring lever 110 rotates counterclockwise, and its lower end abuts on a protrusion 113 provided on the container 61, and does not rotate any more. However, since the permanent magnet 93 continues to rise further, the distance between the permanent magnet 93 and the magnetic body 111 increases, and finally the magnetic force exerted on the magnetic body 111 by the permanent magnet 93 loses its own weight and the waste toner is stirred. The lever 110 rotates clockwise and returns to the original position. Due to the swinging rotation of the waste toner stirring lever 110, the spatula-shaped portion at the lower end swings right and left to flatten the collection toner T piled up in the vicinity thereof.

The reason why such a collecting toner stirring mechanism is necessary is as follows. First, the toner discharging port 23 of the developing unit 23 shown in FIG.
b is a waste toner-receiving port on the side of the waste toner-receiving part 60b of the container 61.
The opening 23c of the toner outlet 23b is completely inserted into the waste toner accommodating portion 60b. In this state, the collection toner can be stored. However, in this state,
When the recovery is started, as shown in FIG. 6, the recovery toner T soon becomes in the shape of Mt. Fuji, and the top thereof blocks the opening 23c of the toner discharge outlet 23b. Therefore, first, the toner outlet 2
The position of the opening 23c of 3b is provided on the side. Normally, such a drop opening is generally open downward. In this position, the toner is easily dropped in the initial state, and the toner can be discharged without any trouble. The top of the toner blocks the opening 23c, making it difficult to discharge the toner. Eventually, the toner is clogged in the toner discharge port 23b and further in a cleaning mechanism (not shown) further upstream. This locks the spiral for toner transfer.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, by providing the opening 23c on the side (in this embodiment, on the right side), the toner is discharged without any trouble as long as the toner discharge outlet 23b is not completely buried in the collected toner T. It is possible. Also, the toner outlet 23
The opening 23c of b is provided on the right side so that the peak of the collected toner T can be brought close to the center of the waste toner accommodating portion 60b even slightly, so that the opening 23c is closed by the collected toner T. Of the toner can be increased.
Conversely, if the opening 23c is opened to the left, the advantage described above is almost lost, and the efficiency of filling the collected toner in the waste toner accommodating portion 60b is reduced as in the case where the opening is opened downward. The above is clear from the experiment. However, even if such a device is devised, the shape of the collected toner-T still has the shape of Mt. Fuji, so there is a height difference between the top and the bottom of the collected toner.
The filling efficiency of the collected toner when the opening 23c is closed is not very good. In particular, a cavity is formed in the lower right part 115 of the waste toner storing portion 60b, and the collection efficiency of the collected toner is adversely affected. Then, the spatula-shaped portion at the lower end of the waste toner stirring lever 110 moves left and right, so that the toner can be fed into the lower right 115 of the waste toner storage portion 60b, and further, the collected toner T Since the height difference between the shapes can be reduced, the collection toner filling efficiency until the opening 23c is closed is greatly improved.

Thus, the toner for replenishment of the developer replenishment and recovery device 60 is provided.
By transmitting the movement of the permanent magnet 93 in the storage section 60a to the waste toner-stirring lever 110 in the waste toner-receiving section 60b by magnetic force, power can be transmitted even if the wall is completely partitioned. There is an advantage that the waste toner accommodating section 60b need not have any power source at all. However, even if such a mechanism is provided, if the toner is further discharged, the opening 23c will eventually be buried in the collected toner T. Conventionally, it has been considered impossible to discharge toner in such a state. In fact, if the opening 23c is facing downwards, the toner is immediately turned into the toner outlet 23b.
It causes clogging. However, as described above, the opening 23
When c faces sideways, the toner can be discharged though there is no problem even if it is buried in the collection toner T. In other words, when discharging the toner by pushing off the pressure of the collected recovery toner T, the resistance is extremely large in the downward direction, but the resistance in the horizontal direction and the upward direction is small, and the toner is also provided in the space above the opening 23c. − Can be filled. Moreover, as a result of an experiment on the present embodiment, the recovered toner T could be filled in the waste toner accommodating portion 60b until it was almost full. For this reason, the opening 23, which was conventionally unnecessary,
Although the space above c is limited, recovered toner can be filled.

The collecting toner stirring mechanism in the waste toner container 60b has been described above.

Returning again to the description of the replenishing toner storage section 60a.

In the toner replenishing section 67 formed at a position offset to the right side of the bottom of the container 61 in FIG. 2, a toner conveying and supplying means 100 constituting the developer replenishing means 80 is incorporated. The conveying / supplying means 100 includes a hollow spiral shaft 101 having a diameter of, for example, 12 mm and formed in at least two or more rows.
And an end 101a of the spiral shaft 101 on the cover 70 side.
And a small-diameter gear 102 integrally formed with the spiral shaft 101. In the hollow shaft of the spiral shaft 101, a support shaft 103 is provided.
This spindle is inserted in a loose fit state to allow the rotation of
The one end 103a of 103 is connected to the closed side end face 6 of the toner replenishing section 67.
7a and the other end 103b of the container 61
The small-diameter gear 102 integrally formed with the spiral shaft 101 is inserted and held in a shaft hole 74 formed in a stepped concave portion 73 of a cover 70 for sealing the open end surface 61b of the cover 70. Meshes with a large-diameter gear 86 integrally formed on the other end portion 83b side of a rotation center shaft 83 constituting the developer stirring means 81, and the rotation of the large-diameter gear 86 causes the spiral shaft 10 to rotate.
1 is rotated to transfer the toner supplied into the toner supply section 67 from the right side to the left toner supply port 68. In this case, if the spiral of the spiral shaft 101 is prepared and exchanged with various types such as one, two, and three, as the number of spirals increases,
The toner supply amount can be controlled in a delicate range without changing the rotation speed of the spiral shaft 101.

Further, a first shutter means 200 is provided above the toner supply port 68 opened at the left bottom of the toner supply section 67, and the first shutter means 200 is a hollow shaft of the spiral shaft 101. One end 10 of a support shaft 103 which is inserted in a loosely fitted state and is supported by the closed side end surface 67a of the toner supply portion 67.
A rotary shutter 201 provided to be synchronously rotatable with 3a,
A shaft hole 74 formed in a stepped concave portion 73 of a cover 70 that seals the open end surface 61b of the container 61 so that the cutout 201a of the rotary shutter 201 is always kept away from the position corresponding to the toner supply port 68. The other end 1 of the support shaft 103 that is inserted into and protrudes outside
A return spring 202 for biasing the return shaft 03b in one direction, and a notch 201a of the rotary shutter 201 is connected to the toner supply port 68 by connecting the support shaft 103 to the biasing force of the return spring 202. And an operation lever 203 for rotating in a corresponding direction. The operating lever 203 is fixed to the other end 103b of the support shaft 103 via a pad 204 and a spring washer 205.
When the kit 60 is in the unloaded state, or when the kit 60 is loaded in the apparatus main body 1 and the top cover 50 of the apparatus main body 1 is lifted as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. When in the open state, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the top cover 50 is released from a pressing operation by an external force such as an operation projection 52 provided on the inner surface 50a of the top cover 50, and is always released. While the toner supply port 68 is closed by the rotary shutter 201, the kit 60 is loaded in the apparatus main body 1, and the top cover 50 of the apparatus main body 1 is As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the top cover 50 is in the closed state, the operation is performed by the pressing operation in the direction of the solid line arrow shown in FIG. 7 by the operation projection 52 provided on the inner side surface 50a of the top cover 50. The lever 203 is opposed to the biasing force of the return spring 202 by an angle θ (about 12 °). The support shaft 103 is rotated in the direction indicated by the broken line, and the support shaft 103 is synchronously rotated in a direction in which the cutout 201a of the rotary shutter 201 corresponds to the toner supply opening 68 in response to the rotation. By
As shown in FIG. 10, the upper part of the toner supply port 68 is opened.

Further, a second shutter means 300 is provided below the toner supply port 68 of the toner supply section 67, and the second shutter means 300 supplies toner to the bottom of the toner supply section 67. A slide shutter 302 slidably provided through a pad 301 having an opening 301a between slide grooves 69 formed integrally with a mouth 68 therebetween, and an opening 303 formed on one side of the slide shutter 302. A compression spring 3 for urging the slide shutter 302 in one direction so that the opening 303 always stays away from the position corresponding to the toner supply port 68.
04 and the slide shutter
302, the slide groove 69 is provided at one end of the opening 303 side.
A locking claw 302a that can be locked is formed on the locking stepped portion 69a, thereby preventing the slide shutter 302 from slipping off when the toner supply port 68 is closed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 17, the second shutter means 300 can respond only to the insertion operation when the kit 60 is loaded into the apparatus main body 1 or the extraction operation when the kit 60 is replaced. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, when the kit 60 is loaded into the apparatus main body 1, a supply port 53a corresponding to a toner supply port (not shown) of the developing unit 23 fixedly provided on the apparatus main body 1 side is formed. The pressing operation of the abutment plate 53 into the slide groove 69 causes the slide shutter 302 to slide in the opening direction indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 9 against the urging force of the compression spring 304. By doing so, the supply port 53a is positioned corresponding to the toner supply port 68, and the lower part of the toner supply port 68 is opened as shown in FIG. In this case, when the top cover 50 of the apparatus main body 1 is in the open state, even if the second shutter means 300 is in the toner supply port 6
8, the first shutter means 200 does not perform the opening operation as shown in FIG. 9, and when the kit 60 shown in FIG. Shutter means
Even if the operation lever 203 of the 200 is erroneously rotated, the toner supply port 68 is kept closed by the second shutter means 300, whereby the loading state of the kit 60 into the apparatus main body 1 and the apparatus main body 1 As long as both of the top cover 50 and the closed state of the top cover 50 are not satisfied, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from spilling out of the toner supply port 68 even during carrying or loading.

In the drawing, reference numeral 400 denotes a cap made of rubber or the like which seals the toner filling port 62 opened on the closed end face 61a of the container 61 constituting the kit 60 after filling the toner.

Next, the structure of the waste toner accommodating portion 60b of the kit 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the container 61c and the cover 70a are integrally formed with the container 61 and the cover 70 of the replenishing toner storage unit 60a, respectively, and are fused and sealed to each other. The cap 121 is pushed outward by the compression spring 122 and closes the collection toner-receiving port 123. The toner outlet 23b of the developing unit into which the collection toner inlet 123 is inserted.
A slide shutter 23d is slidably attached to the end of the discharge nozzle 23f. The slide shutter 23d is pushed toward the end of the discharge nozzle 23f by a compression spring 23e to close the opening 23c. Next, when the kit 60 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner outlet 23b of the developing unit previously mounted on the apparatus main body 1 is connected to the waste toner-receiving port of the kit 60. 6
0c, and the state shown in FIG. 12 is obtained. The slide shutter 23d enters the waste toner receiving port 60c, and its flange is pressed against the container 61 by the compression spring 23e. Further, the slide shutter 23d is provided with the container 61c and the discharge nozzle 23.
The collected toner in the container 61c is not leaked by filling the gap with f. Since the opening 23c of the discharge nozzle 23f is completely opened in the container 61c, the collection toner sent by the transport spiral 42 is discharged without any trouble. Then, when the kit 60 is removed from the apparatus main body 1, the state again becomes as shown in FIG. 11, and the toner discharge port 23b of the developing unit and the toner storing section 6 for replenishment are provided.
0a collection toner receiving port 123 is provided with slide shutter 2
The toner is not leaked because it is closed by 3d and cap 121.

As described above, the collection toner inlet 123 of the kit 60 and the toner supply port 68 shown in FIG. 7 described above are closed and the toner spilled at any time when the kit 60 is attached, detached, loaded, or carried. There is no. Moreover, the collection toner inlet
Since the operation directions for opening and closing the toner supply opening 123 and the toner supply opening 68 are the same, only the operation of inserting the kit 60 from the side of the right frame 1b of the apparatus main body 1 to the developing unit 23 as shown in FIG. , And the collected toner from the developing unit 23 can be received. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner supply port 23a and the toner discharge port 23b of the developing unit 23 are located at one end of the developing unit 23, so that the kit
Although 60 has a very simple shape, it is possible to integrate the different functions of toner supply and toner recovery integrally, and furthermore, a small space of the right frame 1b of the apparatus main body 1 shown in FIG. There is an advantage that the collection toner can be accommodated by effectively utilizing the toner.

Now, as shown in FIG.
There are the following problems when inserting and loading the toner supply port d and the toner receiving port 60c into the toner supply port 23a and the toner discharge port 23b of the developing unit 23, respectively. Although the distance between the toner replenishing section 60d and the waste toner receiving port 60c in the kit 60 and the distance between the toner replenishing section 23a and the toner discharging port 23b in the developing unit 23 are manufactured to have the same size, Is inevitable. Therefore, if both the insertion portions are manufactured without a gap, the kit 60 cannot be smoothly loaded. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an appropriate clearance at one of the two insertion portions. In this embodiment, a gap is provided between the toner supply port 23a and the toner supply section 60d. However, in this state, the positions of the toner discharge port 23b and the waste toner reception port 60c are difficult to match. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the waste toner receiving port 60c is chamfered. This kit
The 60 can be loaded into the smooth.

As described above, the following advantages are obtained by integrating the functions of toner supply and recovery. Conventionally, the toner replenishment and collection functions are respectively provided in separate containers, and the apparatus main body 1 is generally provided with a detection switch for detecting the presence or absence of each. That is, 2
Had to have multiple detection switches. On the other hand, if the toner replenishment and recovery functions are integrated, only one switch is required to detect the presence / absence of the function, and the cost of the apparatus body 1 can be reduced. As another advantage, the switch for detecting the fullness of the toner container 60b can be omitted. Conventionally, the apparatus body 1 is a toner storage container.
It has a detection function to check whether the inside of the container is full or not, and when it is detected that the container is full, the device body notifies the operator of the content through means such as voice or display, The operator is a toner container 60.
b was replaced with a new one. However, in the case of this embodiment, the apparatus main body 1 detects only the presence or absence of toner in the toner supply container 60a, and when the toner for supply is empty, the operator replaces the kit 60 with a new one. Like that. That is, the state in the toner container 60b is not detected at all. As a matter of course, even when the toner container 60b becomes full of the collected toner, the apparatus main body 1 may continue the printing operation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the toner storing section 60a for replenishment in the kit 60 shown in FIG.
And the ratio of the capacity of the waste toner accommodating portion 60b to the following relationship.

Replenishing toner-storage capacity> waste toner-effective storage capacity> replenishing toner amount x untransferred rate.

Waste toner-The effective capacity is more desirable for safety,
As long as the replenishment toner storage capacity is substantially equal to the replenishment toner storage capacity, the waste toner accommodating portion 60b does not become full even if any trouble is encountered. However, the space in the apparatus main body 1 is also limited, and the waste toner effective storage amount is naturally limited to the minimum necessary. The required minimum is (supplement toner amount x untransfer rate). In other words, after the toner in the replenishment toner storage section 60a is completely used, the amount not transferred to the paper P must be secured to the minimum necessary amount. Usually, the transfer efficiency is about 75 to 90%, and 10 to 25% of the supplied toner is recovered as untransferred toner. Therefore, the toner having a capacity of 25% of the supply toner is stored in the waste toner storage section 60.
It must be housed in b. However, in actuality, various troubles such as charging, transfer, and bias failure are assumed, and therefore, it is considered that the effective storage amount of the waste toner storage portion 60b is required to be 30% of the supply toner capacity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the effective toner storage capacity is set to 150 cc while the supply toner capacity is set to 500 cc.

As a result, the printing operation can be continued without any trouble even if the detection of the fullness of the waste toner in the apparatus main body 1 is deleted, and the cost of the apparatus main body can be reduced. Further, the operator is free from the trouble of replacing the waste toner container 60b.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, since the present invention forms a unit by integrating the developer replenishing means and the used developer storing means, the replacement operation of the replenishing means and the storing means can be performed with a single effort. Can be performed, and workability can be improved.

Further, since the unit can be attached to and detached from the cleaning means and the developing means, the unit can be replaced independently, and the cleaning means and the developing means need not be replaced wastefully, which is economical. Further, a second stirring member is provided in the storage means,
In order to stir and level the developer by the second stirring member,
There is an advantage that the developer can be efficiently stored in the storage means, and the amount of developer stored in the storage means can be increased.

In addition, since the second stirring member in the storage means is driven in conjunction with the first stirring member in the replenishing means, a special drive mechanism for driving the second stirring member is separately required. Therefore, cost can be reduced and space is advantageous.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a developer supply and recovery device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view showing the developer supply section, and FIG. An enlarged sectional view showing an assembled state of the assembly of the developer stirring means,
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembled state, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing waste toner stirring means, and FIG. Similarly, FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 are side views of the developer supply device, and FIG.
And FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are AA in FIG. 7, respectively.
FIG. 13 is an external view of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus in which the developer supply device according to the present invention is loaded, and FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the laser printer. FIGS. 15 to 17 are explanatory views showing the same.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an open state of a top cover of the printer. 60 ... kit (unit), 60a ... supply toner storage section (supply means), 60b ... waste toner storage section (storage means).

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI G03G 21/00 510 G03G 21/00 326 21/10 15/08 507E (56) References JP-A 1-319049 (JP, A JP-A-2-1000081 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/00 550 G03G 21/16-21/18 G03G 15/08 110 G03G 15/08 112 G03G 15/08 506 G03G 15/08 507 G03G 21/00 510 G03G 21/10

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A developing means for forming a developer image on the image carrier; a transferring means for transferring the developer image formed by the developing means to a transfer material; and a transfer means for transferring the developer image by the transferring means. Cleaning means for removing the developer remaining on the image carrier; conveying means for conveying the developer removed by the cleaning means; replenishing means for replenishing the developing means with the developer; Storing means for storing the developer to be transported, wherein the developing means and the transporting means are integrated into a first unit, and the replenishing means and the storing means are integrated into a second unit. The second unit is detachable from the first unit, a first stirring member for stirring and transporting the developer is provided in the replenishing means, and the first stirring member is provided in the storage means. Driven in conjunction An image forming apparatus characterized in that a stirring leveling second agitating member image agent. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means has an introduction path for introducing the developer removed from the image carrier, and a space for accommodating the developer at an upper side of the introduction path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.